A device is known which comprises a steam boiler, H2/O2 steam generator, a steam turbine and a steam-and-gas turbine having electric power generators, a system for production of hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis, and a system for collecting hydrogen and oxygen (Utility Model Patent No. RU 30848, Oct. 10, 2002).
The advantageous technical result of this kind of systems is achieved owing to the production of hydrogen and oxygen in an electrolytic cell during night-time dip in the electric load diagram. The electrolysis load evens the load diagram and makes it possible to produce additional power at consumption peaks.
A drawback of the device according to Patent No. 30848 is that it uses an electrolytic cell to produce H2 and O2, two turbines and two electric power generators, and that the hydrogen fueled steam-and-gas turbine can operate only intermittently with an interval required to collect hydrogen and oxygen in dedicated plants. The system is therefore complicated and necessarily needs a large volume storage unit for oxygen and hydrogen.
Most closely related to the present invention is a device comprising a steam boiler, a hydrogen plant for production of hydrogen by conversion from natural gas, an H2/O2 steam generator (a high-temperature H2/O2 steam superheater), a steam turbine provided with an electric power generator and a condenser, and a heat recovery boiler (Utility Model Patent No. RU 54631, Aug. 6, 2005).
The advantageous technical result is attained here owing to the supplement of a power station cycle with hydrogen plants for conversion of natural gas to hydrogen, so that large hydrogen storage units are no longer needed.
Drawbacks of this prior art document is that it is silent of a permissible amount of noncondensable gases in H2 and O2 admitted to the H2/O2 steam generator, and does not indicate a ratio of H2 to O2 flow rates. These parameters can have effect on the condenser operation and the reduction of power efficiency of the system as a whole. The prior art is silent of sources and working media for production of oxygen and for cooling the turbine flow part.